In April 2009, Erin Swezey (an Oklahoma State University sophomore) was driving down the Kilpatrick Turnpike when her car was struck by a drunk driver on the wrong side of the road. It was a head-on collision that instantaneously killed both drivers. The other driver had a blood-alcohol-level more than three times the legal limit.
Now two years later on Nov. 1, the Erin Elizabeth Swezey Act will go into effect. The Erin Elizabeth Swezey Act will increase the penalties for DUI convictions. People convicted of DUI’s will be required to use interlock devices, have a “DUI conviction” stamp on their license, and the time before they can re-apply for driving privileges has been increased.
The Swezey’s have been tirelessly fighting to pass the Erin Elizabeth Swezey Act for the last two years. All their efforts finally came to fruition last week when Gov. Mary Fallin signed the act into law. The Swezeys have remarked, “Our hope is that this law will prevent more Oklahoma families from going through the tragedy that we and so many others have faced.” One statistic to note is that other states that have passed similar DUI laws have seen as much as a 60% decrease in DUI related fatalities.
Hopefully the Erin Elizabeth Swezey Act can do the same for Oklahoma.
For more information on the Erin Elizabeth Swezey Act, visit http://www.erinswezeyact.com/.